Kentucky head coach Mark Pope is right where he wants to be now, but just a few years ago, his career path nearly took a very different turn.
During an appearance on KSR Tuesday morning, Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 revealed that Pope was a serious candidate for the Arizona head coaching position back in 2021. At the time, Arizona had just parted ways with Sean Miller and was beginning its search for a new leader.
The overwhelming favorite for the job was longtime Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd, who ultimately got the position and continues to thrive with the Wildcats out west. But according to Goodman, Pope made quite the impression during the process.
> “Arizona, a couple years ago, when they were going to hire Tommy Lloyd, it came out it was gonna be Tommy Lloyd,” Goodman explained. “The AD at the time, Dave Heeke, didn’t want it to look like it was already wired for Lloyd. So they brought up another name — one that made me nervous. I actually called Steve Kerr, who’s an Arizona guy, to help get that candidate out of the mix.
Then I told Dave Heeke he should look at Mark Pope. The very next day, Pope had an interview with Arizona. And I guess he crushed it. But it was already hooked up for Tommy Lloyd. Still, Pope very easily could have had that job.”
At the time, Pope was coming off his second season at BYU, where he guided the Cougars to a 20–7 record and an NCAA Tournament berth. He had only six years of Division I head coaching experience under his belt but had already built a reputation as one of the game’s rising minds.
Now, three years later, Pope is leading the Kentucky Wildcats, and fans in Lexington are more than glad the Arizona talks didn’t materialize.
Pope himself acknowledged the situation during The Field of 68’s live show at the Joe Craft Center on Tuesday.
> “Arizona was a really intriguing opportunity,” Pope said. “Tommy was absolutely the right guy for that job, and he’s killing it there. But there were some genuine conversations. In the end, the right person got it.”
While it’s fascinating to imagine Pope on the Arizona sideline, Big Blue Nation isn’t complaining. His path brought him back home to Kentucky — and with the Wildcats now chasing Final Four expectations under his watch, it feels like everything worked out exactly the way it was supposed to.
